This is such valuable information for families dealing with SSDI dependent benefits! I'm relatively new to understanding how Social Security works, but I've been helping my elderly father navigate some benefit questions recently. One thing I want to emphasize from reading through all these responses is how important it is to get everything in writing from SSA. When I was helping my dad, we had three different phone representatives give us three different answers to the same question. It wasn't until we got the official documentation that we knew what was actually correct. For your neighbor, in addition to all the great suggestions here about getting the BOAN report and visiting the local office, I'd recommend she ask for any benefit changes or calculations to be sent to her in writing. That way she has official documentation of exactly when the twins' benefits will end and what the new payment amounts will be. Also, has she looked into whether there are any local organizations that help families navigate Social Security benefits? Sometimes community centers, disability advocacy groups, or even libraries have volunteers who are familiar with the system and can help interpret the documentation once she gets it from SSA.

I'm new to this community but have been following this discussion closely as my sister is in a similar situation with SSDI benefits and aging-out children. The information everyone has shared here is incredibly helpful! One additional resource I wanted to mention is the Red Book that Social Security publishes - it's a comprehensive guide to work incentives and benefit programs. You can find it online at ssa.gov or request a printed copy. Chapter 2 specifically covers family benefits and the family maximum calculations that everyone has been discussing. Also, your neighbor might want to start documenting everything now - dates of phone calls to SSA, names of representatives she speaks with, reference numbers for any cases or inquiries. This creates a paper trail that can be really helpful if there are any discrepancies later. The financial planning aspect that others mentioned is so important. When my sister's oldest aged out last year, the income drop was exactly as significant as everyone here described. She found it helpful to practice living on the reduced budget for a few months before the change actually happened, just to identify what adjustments she'd need to make. Thank you all for sharing such detailed and practical advice - this thread should be required reading for anyone navigating SSDI family benefits!

I just went through this exact same process last year at age 70! Like you, I was completely confused about where to put the retroactive benefits request in the online application. The SSA website really doesn't make this clear at all. I also ended up putting my request in the comments section and was worried they'd overlook it. But it worked out perfectly - they processed my retroactive benefits without any issues. The comments section is genuinely the right place for this request, even though it feels wrong when you're doing it. Since you already got confirmation from an SSA agent that your application looks good, you're definitely on the right track. One thing I learned after the fact - you might want to ask about getting the full 6 months of retroactive benefits (back to April 2024) instead of just October and November. At 70, your benefits are already maximized, so there's no penalty for claiming the full retroactive period you're entitled to. I wish I had known this when I first applied! The retroactive payment came as a separate lump sum about 3 weeks after my regular monthly benefits started. Keep that confirmation email handy and don't hesitate to call in a few weeks to double-check everything was processed correctly. You handled this perfectly!

Welcome to the community! I'm new here but this thread has been incredibly reassuring. I'm 71 and just started the online application process yesterday, but got stuck at the exact same point you did - couldn't figure out where to request retroactive benefits! After reading all these responses, I'm going to go back and put my retroactive request in the comments section like you did. It's amazing how many people have had this same experience with the confusing online application. The fact that an SSA agent already confirmed your application looks good is such great news. I'm also planning to request the full 6 months of retroactive benefits that several people mentioned - that's advice I definitely wouldn't have known without reading this discussion. Thanks for asking this question and to everyone who shared their experiences. This is exactly the kind of real-world guidance that makes navigating Social Security so much easier!

I want to share what worked for me when I was in almost exactly your situation! I started my benefits at 62 and was getting about $1,280/month while my husband was getting over $2,500. After reading through all the confusing information online, I decided to visit my local SSA office in person. I made an appointment online (much easier than calling!) and brought our marriage certificate, both award letters, and our Social Security cards. The representative was actually very helpful and ran the calculations right there. It turned out I was eligible for about $290 extra per month as a spousal add-on. Not huge, but definitely worthwhile! The key thing I learned is that they calculate it based on your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) versus 50% of your husband's PIA, then apply the early filing reduction. The whole process took about 5 weeks from application to seeing the first increased payment. One tip: if your local office is busy, try scheduling for mid-week mornings - that's when I found they had the most availability. Don't let the complexity discourage you from applying. Even a smaller increase adds up to thousands of dollars over the course of a year, and you'll never know unless you apply!

I'm a new member here and going through something very similar! I'm 64 and started my benefits at 62 (getting about $1,180/month), and my husband just filed at his FRA last month. His benefit is around $2,200, so not quite as big a difference as yours but still significant. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea about the "spousal add-on" concept or that I'd need to apply separately. I've been waiting to see if anything would happen automatically, but now I understand that's not how it works. I'm definitely going to try the online appointment scheduling that several people mentioned rather than dealing with the phone system. Has anyone had experience with how long it typically takes to get an appointment at a local SSA office? I'm in a smaller town, so hopefully it won't be too backed up. Also wondering - do they typically process these spousal benefit applications faster if you apply in person versus online or over the phone? The waiting period seems to vary quite a bit based on what people are saying here. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences - this community is so much more helpful than trying to navigate the SSA website alone!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue! Just turned 64 and finally got my mySocialSecurity account set up after multiple attempts, but like so many others here, there's no "Apply for Benefits" button anywhere on my dashboard. My husband started collecting his retirement benefits about 7 months ago, and I've been trying to apply for spousal benefits since I only have limited work credits from years of part-time employment. Reading through all these responses has been such a huge relief - I was beginning to think I was completely missing something obvious! It's really frustrating that the SSA website doesn't clearly explain upfront when online applications aren't available for people in our situation. Based on what everyone is saying about being under full retirement age, that definitely explains why we don't see the application option. I'm going to try that Monday morning 8 AM calling strategy that so many people have recommended. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - this community discussion has been far more helpful than anything I could find on the actual SSA website!

I'm experiencing this exact same frustrating situation! Just turned 63 last week and finally managed to create my mySocialSecurity account after dealing with verification issues. Like everyone else here, there's absolutely no "Apply for Benefits" button anywhere on my dashboard - just calculators and account information. My husband started collecting his retirement benefits 5 months ago, and I've been trying to figure out how to apply for spousal benefits since I only worked part-time for about 8 years and don't have enough work credits for my own retirement. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly eye-opening - it's clear that being under full retirement age is why we can't apply online, but the SSA website does such a poor job explaining this upfront! I was starting to think I was completely missing something obvious. Based on everyone's advice here, I'm definitely going to try that Monday morning 8 AM calling strategy that so many people have had success with. It's really reassuring to know that once you get through to an agent, the phone application process seems to go smoothly. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - this thread has been more helpful than hours of searching the SSA website!

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to share a resource that might be particularly relevant for your situation with Medicaid waiver payments. I recently helped my aunt navigate a similar issue where she was receiving payments as a family caregiver, and we discovered that the Social Security Administration has a specific internal manual section (POMS DI 10505.010) that addresses how various state Medicaid waiver payments are treated for SSI and SSDI purposes. While this is more technical than some of the other resources mentioned, it could be helpful to reference when you're speaking with SSA representatives to ensure they're applying the correct policy. Also, given all the excellent advice in this thread about timing and coordination, I wanted to mention that you might want to ask about "month of entitlement" rules when you speak with SSA or your Benefits Counselor. These rules determine exactly when your retirement benefits would begin and could affect the timing of when your daughter might be eligible to switch to DAC benefits if that turns out to be advantageous. One practical tip from our experience - when you do apply, consider asking the SSA representative to annotate your file with notes about the Medicaid waiver payment exclusion and any references to the POMS sections people have mentioned. This can help prevent confusion if different representatives handle your case during processing. This thread has been incredibly informative - it's amazing how supportive and knowledgeable this community is. Best of luck with your decision!

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to thank everyone for creating such an incredibly comprehensive and helpful discussion! I'm currently in my early 60s and dealing with some similar benefit coordination questions for my disabled adult son, so reading through all of these responses has been tremendously educational. One additional resource I wanted to mention that might be helpful - the National Academy of Social Insurance has some excellent publications that explain Social Security benefit interactions in plain language. Their "Social Security Brief" series includes documents specifically about family benefits and earnings tests that could complement all the great technical references people have shared here. Also, based on everything I've read about the importance of timing and documentation, you might want to consider creating a simple checklist of all the steps you need to take based on this thread - things like contacting Kentucky DAIL, gathering the POMS references, setting up consultations with advisors, etc. Having a concrete action plan can help ensure you don't miss any of the valuable suggestions people have made. Your situation really highlights how complex these benefit interactions can be, but also shows what an amazing resource this community is for people navigating these challenges. The generosity of everyone sharing their knowledge and experiences has created an incredible roadmap for you. Best of luck with your decision-making process!